Melting The Ice
by Kratos Wilder
Summary: He was a block of ice. She was a flaming torch. And when the flames get too close, the ice begins to melt.
1. Prologue

**::A/N:: **Ah, my reach has now included Tales of Graces! Bam! I've been fighting with ideas for my first ToG story, since playing the game for the eight hundredth time sparked a wave of creativity. So, I decided to do what I believe and hope I do best: reading the minds of the characters!

When I first finished the game, or at least, reached the part where Hubert confesses to Pascal, my jaw hit the floor. I honestly did not see it coming. And truth be told, I didn't like it. But after playing it a few more times, I actually fell in love with the couple. And after my recent play through, I picked up little things _Pascal_ was doing, which leads me to believe...she liked him first.

Anyway, this was my take on it. I was hoping to do it in Pascal's POV, since she is my fave, but I soon found out she is extremely difficult to write for. And since Hubert is a lot like Mr. Neji Hyuuga, whom I write for a lot, I decided to stick to him.

A little short here, but it's only to get me started. And here's to hoping my first ToG story turns out well!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Graces. If I did, we would have killed Richard after he hurt Sophie. So be grateful, because I loved Richard in Lineage and Legacies!

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**Melting The Ice**

Prologue

The first time he saw her, he thought nothing of it. He had more important, urgent matters to focus on: his brother had recently approached him to negotiate a truce for the new King of Windor between the nation of Strahta.

Please.

Sophie and Cheria had accompanied him, as well as an older man and younger woman. His brother must have been—no, he was—foolish enough to try and persuade him to turn tail and leave. Had it not been out of the respect he had for Sophie and Cheria and their past relationship, he would have been forced to have acted much crueler.

And he nearly laughed when Asbel told him that Richard's invasion had not been a part of the plan he had agreed to. How much of an idiot did he have to be?

It didn't faze him, however. If Asbel and his entourage got in his way, he would be left with no choice but to classify them as enemies.

And yes, that included the girl he had not yet learned anything about.

-0-

The first time he heard her speak had been shortly after his brother had brought Cheria back, alive and well. He had been slightly caught off guard when she spoke, a huge smile plastered on her face as she lifted one arm above her head. What the move meant, he hadn't a clue. He had a feeling she would have been the one in the group to drive him insane. After all, there was one in every group of people.

And then Sophie copied her movements, to the point he nearly gaped at her. Oh, poor Sophie. She was being exposed to the wrong kind of people. He just had to hope and pray that along with a safe travel, Sophie didn't come back as crazy as the girl next to her appeared to be.

-0-

A few weeks passed and he once again encountered the group. This time, he would not have the luxury of sending them away and hoping he would not have to run into them for a while. The president had other plans for him.

"Hubert? I want you to accompany Asbel."

He knew right then and there, his life was going to be utter hell for the next few months. Traveling with the group before him was going to be a nuisance, and he was pretty sure the president caught his twitch of annoyance. What had he done to deserve this?

At least Sophie appeared to be as innocent as she had been previously. Good. Hopefully, she would help keep him sane. "Hubert is coming with us?"

Well, he didn't really _want_ to, but he knew better than to disobey orders. But still, he knew nothing about the older man standing in the background, arms folded across his chest, acting as if he had no care in the world. And he had already gathered that the girl standing next to Sophie was a bit…crazy. He would definitely have to keep an eye on them.

They made small talk for a while, as Sophie explained that they had all been eaten by the Rockgagong and the charm he had given Asbel had saved them all.

As if this day couldn't annoy him more. If this was what he had to look forward to, it was going to be an extremely long journey.

And _that_ was when he heard it. "Welcome to the party, Little Bro!"

…_Little Bro_? Oh, no…he would _not_ allow that crazed woman to belittle him just because the one thing she knew about him was that he was Asbel's younger brother. And the way she said it…like he was a _child! _The fact that she included a "victory" dance—a simple step forward with a full-body twist—angered him even more. And then she did that move again, the same one he witnessed back in Lhant. And when Sophie followed suit, he silently cursed his luck.

He was pretty sure the president was smirking at his dissatisfaction now. Had he not been in the presence of his superior, well…there was no need to think about what he would have said. It was a done deal, and he would just have to make the best of it and suck it up.

Or rather, mentally last long enough to report a successful mission.

* * *

I usually don't like short stuff like this, but I didn't want to go into too much description where it wasn't needed. This was just a set up. The others will be much longer.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 1

**::A/N::** I figured since the last chapter was kinda short and such, I should go ahead and get this one up.

The first time I saw this boat scene, it didn't strike me as a possible foreshadow of events. But now...I die laughing every time I see it. It might not be enough evidence to support the idea that I believe Pascal had a thing for Hubert before he liked her, but hey...this wasn't the last little cute scene...hmm...

Okay, the "suspicious" attitude starts here, but might not end until the next chapter. I didn't want to do too much in one chapter. Hope all turned out well and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Graces. If I did, all the women would eat chicken!

* * *

**Melting The Ice**

Chapter One  
"_I've never met a more suspicious character in all my life."_

The second the boat pulled out of the harbor, he seriously thought about jumping overboard and putting an end to his misery. Why was he putting himself through this? And to top this whole ordeal, he had lost a duel to Asbel while still on land. He hadn't been _trying_ to beat his older brother, so technically, he _let_ him win. However in turn, the man known as Malik had thrown his two cents in, which had irritated him.

He knew nothing, and yet, the older man acted like he knew everything.

He quickly separated himself from the group as soon as they were settled into their cabins. Less than half the day had passed, and he already felt the need for space. He walked to the edge of the boat, letting the breeze and sounds of the waves crashing against the boat calm his racing mind.

They would be arriving at Warrior's Roost in a few days, and even though he felt like he should be the one in command, working with a group of people he had never fought with before made him nervous. He was sure Asbel could hold his own in a fight, seeing as he had a few chances to test his skill. He assumed Sophie would be alright as well; he remembered her impressive fighting style from when they were kids. She was probably part of the reason Asbel had managed to return to Lhant after he had forcefully kicked him out.

He worried most about Cheria. She no longer seemed to be that sickly little girl he always thought she would be—another phenomenon he would have to investigate—but she was a healer, not a fighter. His brother would likely fight on her behalf if need be, but if the group were to be engaged in combat, well…he didn't know how she would fair on her own.

And then there was Malik and Pascal. He knew nothing about them. And he hated that the most. He was always taught to never trust lightly, as people would often mistake kindness for weakness, and he refused to be seen as weak. Those days were behind him now. Not that Malik or Pascal had done anything suspicious, but he could not—_would not_—allow them to escape his watchful eye. Just in case.

He heard footsteps behind him and he slowly turned to face his brother. Great. He probably wanted to "catch up" on life, and he had no desire to do so.

"So," Asbel began, trying to break through the silence that befell around them. "Have you been out to Warrior's Roost before?"

Not the question he had been anticipating, but he preferred it over the one he thought he would ask. "No."

He saw Asbel scratch the back of his head. "Oh. Then, how do you know so much about it?"

What had his brother learned at the knight academy? It seemed to him the only thing he got from it was how to properly wield a sword. "I'm a military officer. Knowing information about the surrounding areas is critical for providing defense."

Asbel lowered his eyes at his retort. He hadn't meant to come across so cold; it was just instilled in who he was.

His brother either understood or shook it off. "I still can't believe you're a lieutenant. I always believed you would become something great. You've never failed to impress."

And now he was acting like the proud big brother. He didn't need his praise; he hadn't needed it in years. But still, a part of him couldn't help but take his words to heart. At least, just this once.

He turned his attention to the horizon; dark blue seas beneath crystal light-blue skies. It was always a sight he enjoyed taking in. "It was a difficult road." He ended it there before he got carried away. The last seven years were not something he felt comfortable sharing with his brother, as his bitterness towards his own flesh and blood still caused him to see red every now and then. He knew by now Asbel had nothing to do with it, but still. It was far too painful to think about all the "what if's" and "what could have been's."

Thankfully, Asbel did not ask him to carry on. They both simply stood in silence, letting the surrounding environment fill their ears in place of words. It was then that he realized how strange it was going to be to have his brother around again. He had been the only child in the Oswell household—minus Raymond, of course—so to have Asbel filling the role as the older brother…it was weird. Then again, he probably thought Asbel felt the same.

Well, just so long as he knew he was not the weak and shy little boy from their childhood. He did not need Asbel's protection and could easily take care of himself.

And then the silence was interrupted. "Oh! Sibling alert!"

He didn't recognize the voice, which meant it had to have been Pascal. He quickly turned to face her as she bolted right in front of him, her head literally inches from his. He leaned back slightly as she studied him. He had no idea what she seemed to be doing, but he was growing extremely uncomfortable in her gaze.

"Hey, so is traveling with your family totally awesome or what?"

He didn't feel like answering her question, but he figured that if he ended the conversation before it began, she would leave him alone. "Not particularly."

It failed. "Oh, right. Cause he knows all about your childhood secrets or whatever…yeah?"

Why was she asking him all these questions? He didn't know her, didn't _want_ to know her, and he sure as hell didn't want _her_ to know _him_! "This isn't a vacation, you know."

She simply shrugged it off. "Fine. Whatever. Ignore my questions." And before he could even utter a retort—she seemed to be giving him an attitude—she directed her attention to his brother. "So, Asbel? Got any embarrassing stories about your little bro?"

What was wrong with this woman? Didn't she realize that if he wasn't willing to talk to her about himself, she should just drop the issue?

And God so help him if Asbel answered her question…

"Are you even listening to me?" he asked before Asbel could say anything. But Pascal still seemed to be waiting for Asbel to answer, as her attention still remained focused on him. So…

"And while I'm at it, just how were you able to solve the valkines problem so easily?"

He had been curious about it for a while, but he never had an opportunity to ask. This wasn't the way he would have wanted to ask her, but at least she turned to face him, apparently losing hope that Asbel would reveal some embarrassing secret about him.

"What, that?" she started, her hand going to the back of her head. "Oh, I dunno. Just intuition, I guess."

Right. Because _that_ was believable. "You can't fix a problem like _that_ with intuition."

"It's okay, Hubert," Asbel chimed in next to him. "That's just how Pascal is."

Great, now Asbel couldn't see what was so strange about this. They had the nation's best scientific minds working on their valkines cryas, and they couldn't even fix it. Then, some random person shows up and magically solves it in minutes? It just didn't seem possible. There was more to this than she was letting on.

And he _would_ get to the bottom of it.

But Pascal took his intrigue far differently. She spun around, hands in the air, that smile he had already seen far too many times plastered to her face. "My favorite food is bananas, and my favorite color is yellow! Hey! This is fun! What else ya wanna know?!"

He was getting a headache, and he could _feel_ the excitement radiating off of the woman in front of him. If he had to put up with this question and answer session every day…he should have jumped off the boat hours ago.

"Ugh, never mind," he snapped, hoping that she would get the idea that he wanted to be left alone. Any more time in her presence would have caused him to go mad.

She didn't even seemed fazed by his disgust as she threw her arms around her head and beamed at him. "Okay! But if you ever think of anything, just let me know!"

When she turned and walked back towards the rooms, he could not have been more relieved. Aside from the fact that she was annoying the hell out of him, she had blown off the whole valkines ordeal rather quickly.

That fact did not sit well with him.

"Ridiculous. I've never met a more suspicious character in all my life."

Asbel shrugged his shoulders at his remark. "I know she's kind of…unusual, but we couldn't have survived this long without her."

He was referring to the valkines. He was willing to accept that she somehow had managed to fix it, thus saving their country, but still. Intuition? She was lying, she _had _to have been, which meant she couldn't be trusted.

"I'm not denying what she has done. I'm saying it's dangerous to put blind trust in her." But if he knew one thing about Asbel, it was that no matter how much proof he had behind his reasoning, it would never be simple enough for him to understand.

So, he turned his back, eager to finally put this conversation to rest. "I can see this is lost on you. Very well. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on things."

He could hear Asbel's disapproval in his voice. "Hubert, come on…"

But he would hear no more on the subject. He would prove Asbel wrong. Maybe then he would practice a little more common sense.

-0-

Their time spent at Warrior's Roost had been somewhat entertaining for him. He had been itching for a fight ever since they landed, and a part of him wanted everyone to know exactly how strong he really was. He also took the chance to watch the fighting styles of Malik and Pascal. He had been impressed with what he saw…but also extremely curious, especially with Malik.

But he said nothing, keeping his questions to himself, because the minute he voiced his concern with his brother on the boat leaving Warrior's Roost, Asbel was quick to defend his instructor.

Figures.

But he was willing to let the subject go, for now. It had become clear to him that he was the only one in their group who would keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

"Asbel?" Sophie ran up to the both of them, sounding slightly worried. Had something happened? "Pascal is feeling sick."

Wonderful. He just hoped that this didn't mean _he_ would have to look after her in her present condition. This was a job for Cheria, and he had no desire to be stranded in a room "getting to know" this crazed woman.

As if she knew he had been thinking about her, she slowly stumbled up to the deck next to Sophie, one hand covering her mouth and the other wrapped around her stomach. If she thought about getting sick in front of them…

"Hang in there, Pascal," Cheria said softly, walking behind her carefully, putting a hand on her back for support.

"Ooooh, I'm _totally_ gonna paint the deck here."

_No, no, no!_

But his silent plea was not heard, and Pascal, true to her word, threw up all over the deck. Cheria continued to stand beside her, rubbing her back in an effort to calm her down. Sophie just sat there, watching. He and Asbel nearly fell off the boat trying to step as far away as they could. Ugh, why couldn't she have done this in their room? Did she really need to make a scene out here?

Once Asbel recovered from his surprise, he sighed. "Are you alright, Pascal? Do you get seasick easily?"

Well, of course. What else could have caused someone to get sick randomly on a moving boat? Maybe they had been lucky last time, or she at least didn't throw up on in front of everyone.

Then, Cheria turned towards them. "She's not seasick." He looked back at her, confused. Food poisoning? But why did it seemingly only affect Pascal? Cheria drew in a breath before she continued. "She just ate an entire bunch of bananas."

Oh.

Once the mention of the fruit was out, Pascal continued where she left off. He was beginning to feel a bit sick himself, watching the girl vomit in front of him. Finally, he managed to pull his eyes off of the scene before he was joining her.

"This is disgusting."

Asbel looked over his shoulder, probably trying to look anywhere else but straight ahead. His brother offered him a sympathetic look, but he didn't seem to be as disgusted as he was. Perhaps this wasn't the first time Pascal got sick in front of him.

Well, he would make sure it was the last.

"Okay, I think I'm done horfing for a while." And he was amazed at how quickly she regained her composure. It was as if she hadn't gotten sick at all! Even as she ran over to Malik—she wanted to know if he was sick, too—he couldn't help but marvel at her recovery.

This woman truly was in a league of her own.

-0-

The trek on the path to Velanik was extremely cold. Even though he had anticipated it, he didn't think it would have been _this_ bad. With the winds constantly howling and the snow blowing in his face, not one single spot of his person wasn't frozen. He tried to hide his shaking, but soon realized that the others weren't really hiding their discomfort either. He could hear teeth chattering from behind him, and he heard Pascal grumble with every step they took. Actually, the only one who didn't seem to mind was Malik.

Hmm…

They came up to a split in the road and Asbel walked past him to investigate the large crater off to the side. "Wow, that's a big crater."

That it was. He had never seen anything that big. What did Fendel possess that could have created such a hole? New weapons? New technology? Whatever it was, it terrified him. If something could do this much damage…

"Oh, that old thing? I kinda hoped somebody had filled it in by now."

He didn't make a move at Pascal's comment, for he had actually been taken by surprise. How did _she_ know about this?

Cheria asked his question for him. "You've heard of this crater, Pascal?"

He silently waited for her answer. "Eh, a bit, I suppose." Not the answer he had been waiting for. She had to know something. And it irritated him to no end that she wasn't being as open as he thought she would have been. Unless, she was trying to hide something from them.

"What could have created such a large crater?" Malik asked. Well, at least _he_ didn't seem to know anything about it. All of his suspicions were now directed at Pascal.

At least she seemed to answer honestly this time. "It happened after a cryas explosion."

A cryas explosion? "That…happens?" Asbel asked, just as confused as he was. How does cryas explode and create something as large as the crater before them?

"Of course," Pascal responded. "The cryas in Fendel is naturally unstable, which makes it kinda hard to control."

His first thought was something along the lines of: interesting. He would have to jot that down in his journal when they reached Velanik. His second thought was more pressing: how did she _know_ that?

But his questions would have to wait, as the Fendelian soldiers slowly crept up behind them. Now was not the time.

Thankfully, Asbel thought the same. "We should get to Velanik before people start getting suspicious."

But it was far too late for that now. He was already suspicious.

He turned to Asbel once the soldiers had passed, knowing that it was safe to resume their conversation. "The town of Velanik is just up the road. Perhaps we should try to gather information about this crater there."

Asbel nodded in approval. "Yeah. I'd hate to see a hole like this open up in Lhant somewhere."

And then Sophie in all her innocence asked, "Why would a hole open up in Lhant?"

He opened his mouth to answer her question, but Pascal beat him to it. "Allow me to elucidate. Our current location is just north of the Windor boarder, so we've actually been traveling in a big ol' circle. We're not all that far from Lhant."

He cast her a curious look. Again, how did she know that? Hadn't she come from Windor?

"I have to admit," Cheria began, sounding as if she was impressed. "Even after the whole valkines ordeal, I continue to be surprised by how much you know."

The valkines, this crater, the geography of the world…there was too much she knew about that _he_ didn't know about.

Pascal shrugged the compliment off. "Yeah, well…it's just a coinkydink!"

He couldn't stay quiet after hearing _that_. "Is that all?" he asked, turning his whole body to face her. She seemed surprised, but…not, at the same time. She just stood there with that damn smile on her face! "I, for one, have trouble believing in all these 'coinkydinks'."

He heard Asbel snort in laughter behind him. And he could have sworn Cheria did the same. He would have turned and berated them, but…

"Then it's destiny!"

So now everyone was making light of the situation. There was no way he would allow this humorous façade of hers to lower his defenses. He could tell she was intelligent, and thus, she was probably doing this on purpose to avoid suspicion.

Well, he wouldn't allow it. Her bubble of energy and happiness was not going to change his mind.

Ever.

* * *

I tried to keep everyone in character, well, more so Hubert, so hopefully he wasn't too cold. Because I thought he was a big jerk during this part of the game.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

**::A/N:: **Woot! Another chapter!

I apologize for the delay. I've been back and forth between Naruto and Tales and then lost interest in both, then picked up Tales again so I sat down and wrote this! It took me at least three days to come up with an intro I was happy with, so more reason for a late upload...

One of my all time favorite scenes here! I'm sure you can guess which one, and if it's not one of yours...you're weird...

Thanks again for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Graces. If I did, National Crablette Day would be legit...even if I don't like crablettes...

* * *

**Melting The Ice**

Chapter Two

"_What are you trying to hide from me?!"_

They had reached the town of Velanik within a few hours, and they all had the same thought: escape the cold. Asbel had been the one to suggest a night at the inn before asking around about the valkines, and Hubert could not have agreed more. He had been cold; he had been hungry; he had been agitated. Frankly…he had been _miserable_! He thought a nice, warm room, food, and time away from the group that had been driving him insane would do him a world of good.

But he had been wrong.

He sat in the room he shared with Asbel and Malik and cursed his luck. Yes, they had all escaped the cold wind, but it was still extremely chilly inside the wooden structure. Not that he expected differently, as the entire town seemed to be in bad shape. But still. He wanted so desperately to be back in Strahta, where even though he wasn't used to the heat, he would have rather been sweating then freezing to death.

It was very late, but the cold kept him from falling asleep. Well, the temperature only added to his frustration, which had kept him from falling asleep. Asbel had passed out the minute his head hit the pillow, and he was angry that he could not do the same. Malik had not yet returned from his "walk" around town, and it had been over three hours now.

Suspicious…

The minutes felt like hours to him, and when Asbel muttered something incoherent in his sleep, he slammed his fists into the mattress and stood up. Malik could _not_ still be scouting the town, so he would take this opportunity to see what was really going on.

He quietly left the room, pulling the coat of his uniform closer to keep himself as warm as possible. The hallway was quiet…too quiet. His mind began formulating scenarios as he walked down the stairs. Malik could be informing Fendelian soldiers of their plan. He could be working with King Richard and could be leading the group into a trap. He could be…

"Ohmigosh, it's awesome!"

He could be…serving Pascal drinks at the bar? Didn't see that one coming…

"I bet you must be a big hit with the ladies," Pascal added with a strange girly laugh. Hubert was still trying to make sense of the situation. Malik? Bartending? Pascal? Drinking? This had to have been some kind of cover up for a secret meeting or something….Because this was _not _how he pictured finding either of them.

"What makes you think that?" the older man asked, his arms folding across his chest.

The younger girl took another sip of her drink before responding. "You know! You're all dark and charming and mysterious or whatever. Ladies loooove mystery!"

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't coming on to just him. She seemed to be more interested in this older, "mysterious" man than in him. Perhaps now this crazed mad-woman would leave him alone.

When Malik spoke again, there was a hint of…sadness?...in his tone. "Perhaps I just have a past that isn't worth sharing."

_I'm sure you do,_ Hubert thought as he carefully tried to read the older man.

"See?!" Pascal shouted, to the point it actually made him flinch. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

She took a long drink from her mug, and he began to grow agitated with her. She had to have been drunk by now, what with her current shout that could have possibly woken the sleeping village. Not that he knew much about drunken people…or her…but…

"We're a lot alike, Captain. I was always making mistakes when I was young, too."

Well, drunk or not, he would not lose anymore sleep listening to this annoying banter. "That doesn't appear to have changed," he finally said as he approached the two of them. Pascal nearly dropped her drink in surprise, but Malik remained as unreadable as he had before.

"Oh, hey Little Bro! You can't sleep either?" she asked, her surprise soon replaced by a smile. "I'd offer you a drink, but you're still a child."

_Still a child?_ As if he needed more of a reason to dislike her! 'Little Bro' was already bad enough… "I'm merely too young to drink. I'm _not_ a child," he added in his defense.

But she paid no attention to him as she took a long chug from her glass. Ugh, why was he even bothering? "If you keep drinking like that, it will impair your performance tomorrow." Not that her fighting skills were needed or necessary, he just didn't want the team to feel the need to protect her because of this fiasco and wind up getting hurt in her stead.

But when she finally lowered her glass and hiccupped, he knew it was too late. "Wh-what? Don't be shilly!"

He groaned in frustration. Thankfully, Malik had enough sense to agree with him. "Perhaps that's enough for tonight, Pascal."

He wanted to tell Malik that it was far too late now, that he should have never given her that drink to begin with, but…

"I better take my clothsh off before I melt…"

Oh no, no, _no_! He would _not_ allow this drunken woman to force him to fall victim to such a repulsive situation!

"Don't you _dare_," he said sternly, his glare intensifying enough that she actually took a step back.

"Eeek! Settle down, Little Bro!" He really hated when she called him that…drunk or not…but at least she seemed to have lost interest in stripping. "Why you gotta be angry all the time?"

Was she really raising her voice at him? Was she really that clueless, or in this case, _drunk_, enough to ask him why he was so angry?! He was not always angry…they all _forced_ him to be angry because they all did such stupid things!

"I abhor drunkards. And might I add that this is a _terrible _time to lose control of your faculties!"

And then Malik came to her defense…which angered him even more. "You have a point, but people can't operate at full stress all the time, Hubert. We all need to unwind."

Now he was pissed. How dare he act like he knew a thing about him! How dare he try and convince him that being drunk was a good thing to help "unwind!" No. He was wrong. If one could not handle the stress, then they were weak.

"I disagree, Captain," he retorted, his glare now focusing on the older man. "People who think like that often end up as failures."

He was cold, and his words seemed to deliver a blow to the captain. Good. Perhaps now he would understand the error of his ways. "Perhaps you're right…" he replied quietly.

"Hey!" Pascal shouted, causing him to turn his attention back to her. He had, for a minute, forgotten that she was still standing there…drunk…"Which one'a you clownsh jusht made the room all shpinny?!" He shook his head in disgust, but she spoke again. "I'm hungry. I wish I had pancakesh…"

He opened his mouth to say something, but she kept right on shouting. "Oooh, yeah! Pancakesh with shyrup and butter and…and…bananash!"

He was going to kill himself, he just knew it. It was either that or her level of insanity was going to make him go crazy, and _then_ he would kill himself. Why not die a sane human being?

"Hey…" she continued in their silence. At least her voice was quiet this time. "Whaddya you two lookin' at?"

His head was pounding, and he would take no more of this madness. "Go to bed, both of you. We have an early morning tomorrow." He then walked away, hoping upon hope that he would not be dealing with a hung over Pascal come morning.

-0-

After their second night in Velanik, Hubert learned that he would much rather have dealt with a drunk Pascal than deal with her sober snoring.

He was naturally an early riser, but this morning…Asbel nearly had to drag him out of bed. He didn't think he had slept at all. The cold played a small factor in his failure to sleep, but he blamed most of it on the thunderous snoring coming from the room next door. He wondered how the hell the rest of the gang was able to sleep through it…if they had at all.

They all met in the lobby of the inn, and he was mildly surprised to see that most of them seemed to have slept just fine. All except for Pascal of course…as she yawned deeply as the innkeeper approached them.

"Good morning! How was your night?" she asked kindly. Hubert wanted to turn to the girl standing next to him and tell everyone that _his_ night had been the worst because a certain someone had been extremely loud in her sleep. He really wanted to know how Sophie and Cheria…hell, even Asbel and Malik, had slept at all.

"It was cold, and I totally didn't sleep at all…" Pascal said with another yawn. He turned to her, baffled that she couldn't at least keep that to herself after the kind hospitality of the innkeeper, but slightly angry that she acted like she was the victim. She had to have slept just fine! _He_ didn't sleep at all!

"That's amazing, considering that your snoring was rattling the crockery in my room." He wanted to add, _and I totally didn't sleep at all!_ But he kept that to himself.

Wait…did he just say _totally_? Ugh…

Asbel laughed next to him as Pascal lifted an arm to the back of her head and smiled. He didn't understand why his words were so funny, because he was far from amused. He was tired and angry, and the damn day hadn't even started!

He felt bad for the innkeeper as she dropped her shoulders and lowered her gaze. "You're right little lady. We do have some cold nights here. We keep hearing that the government will use its valkines to help us."

Upon hearing the mention of the valkines, he temporally forgot about his lack of sleep and began to focus on the mission at hand. They had not learned much more about the location from the townspeople, but maybe she would be able to offer some information.

"Do you know where the valkines is?" Asbel asked and Hubert held his breath.

"Not specifically, no," she replied and he sighed in defeat. "But I've heard they're studying it in Zavhert."

Well, they already knew that, so he was a little disappointed that this two day stop had been wasted. Actually, wasted was putting it lightly…

He heard Pascal mutter something behind him. He could barely pick up, "Someone's helping 'em? But who…?" He turned his head over his shoulder to listen to whatever else she had to say, but she seemed to be deep in thought. It was a rare look for her; no smile, no spark in her eyes…

He mentally slapped himself. Since when did he start taking note in her different expressions?

Thankfully, Asbel spoke up and addressed the group, pulling his attention back on the matter at hand. "All right then. Let's get to Zavhert as fast as possible."

And as much as Hubert was delighted to finally get a move on, it meant braving the cold once more _and_ dealing with the group for several hours. Zavhert was not close by any means, and he anticipated that the trek would take at least the rest of the day. Needless to say, he was _not_ looking forward to it.

For the most part, they traveled in silence, occasionally having to slay a monster or two along the way. He was actually thrilled at the fact everyone seemed to be in their own little world. No one was speaking, which meant no one would bother him, or cause him to think they were up to something…

But he spoke too soon, as halfway through the mountain pass, Pascal began acting strange once more. Not the strange he was sadly growing accustomed to, but the suspicious strange that reminded him that he knew nothing about her and she needed to be carefully watched.

Finally, her muttering became loud enough to where he picked it up. "That's gotta be it…the research…"

He had meant to ask her back at the inn what her silent dilemma was about, but he would not ignore her a second time. When Sophie stopped to examine the tree they were passing, he took the opportunity to ask.

"And what are we muttering about? Something to do with this frozen tree, perhaps?" He knew it had nothing to do with the tree Sophie was still staring at, but his voice was loud enough to stop the rest of the group. The more eyes she had on her, the more likely she was to become nervous if she was hiding something from them.

But she ignored him, mumbling something he couldn't understand, her attention still lost somewhere else. If she thought _that_ would allow him to drop the issue, she was mistaken.

"That is no answer…Now speak! What are you trying to hide from me?!"  
Beside him, Asbel sighed and shook his head. Oh, yes, he forgot that his older brother was naïve to what was obviously suspicious behavior!

"Huh?" Pascal finally responded, acting as if she just realized he was talking to her. "Oh, nothing at all. I'm just wondering what's up with the valkines."

What the hell did that mean? "What's…up?"

She didn't skip a beat. "The valkines is near Zavhert, yeah? So I'm just worried about what kinda research they're conducting."

Well, it made sense, but he still couldn't help but feel like she knew more than what she was telling.

"Do you think that it's possible that the military might be using eleth from the valkines?" Asbel asked. He had a point as well. If that were the case, then it was possible that the Fendelians could use this unstable cryas to destroy cities, even countries. He would not allow them to do so.

"If Fendel is thinking along those lines, it falls to us to stop them." But they were also in pursuit of Richard. If they found the valkines cryas, they would find him. "And then we can dispense with that other menace to the valkines as well!"

Asbel and Sophie both lowered their heads at the mention of Richard. He didn't understand why they were still hoping he would come around. He had taken all the eleth from Windor, from Strahta, and now he could do the same to Fendel. He was their enemy! He even went as far as to invade Lhant! The man was clearly not going to change because of words and their past friendship. They needed to realize that before that weakness lead to great losses for not only their small group, but the world as well.

But he let it slide. After all, he had long since learned that it was his job to keep an eye out for liars and betrayers. Asbel would just have to thank him for it later.

* * *

Rough ending, but I didn't want to go any further and save Zavhert for the next chapter. I fought with the idea of adding a "hung over" moment, but then I would have to do the scene with the kids...and I doubt I could have made it as awesome as I wanted to.

Again, thanks for reading and hopefully I'll be uploading sooner this time!


	4. Chapter 3

**::A/N::** Yay! My lost motivation has returned! I'm already a few steps ahead again!

Anyway, I kinda liked this chapter, but I kinda didn't. Hubert was just too much of a meanie in this section. But that's okay. Because he's slooooooowly coming around now. Anyways, hopefully it turned out as good as I hope it did. Because after proofreading it a thousand times, I'm done looking at it.

Thanks again for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Graces. If I did, Mecha-Asbel would have launched bananas...

* * *

**Melting The Ice**

Chapter Three

"_I will go no further with them at my side."_

The walk to the port was shorter than expected. Hubert assumed it had to have been late afternoon, but with the clouds and snow—and the damn wind—it was hard to tell exactly what time it really was. Regardless, they had made it, and for the first time in days, he did _not_ have a headache!

Now if he could only do something about the stupid weather, this journey would actually be pleasant.

They walked up to the dock and Sophie ran up to the large boat, acting as if she had never seen one before. It always fascinated him, how someone so strong could still act so innocent.

He just wished they _all_ had been as innocent.

"This boat will take us to Zavhert."

And Malik was one of them. He had been fairly quiet on their journey, but his silent demeanor did nothing but raise questions and suspicions. And he seemed to be acting the leader, as if he knew where he was going…

"You seem to know a lot about this country."

But instead of shrugging it off, the older man stared back at him, annoyed. "Is that a problem?"

He hadn't expected Malik to retaliate, and his actions caught him slightly off guard. But only for a second. He continued to stare down the captain. "No, not a problem. It's just…interesting."

Malik's stare hardened for a split second, and he took that to mean he was hiding something. And now he was that much closer to discovering what those secrets were…

"The Captain's crazy old!" He broke his stare down with Malik and turned to Pascal, who had come to the older man's defense. Hmm, they were probably scheming together. "He probably knows about everything by now."

Malik's cold look vanished as the man turned to the woman who had spoken for him. "Tactful as always, Pascal."

But he wasn't buying any of this little show. Whatever the two of them felt for each other was none of his business, but he would not allow their "feelings" to mask some sort of shady plot he had yet to uncover.

He threw an arm out to silence them. "Don't change the subject!" Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Cheria and Asbel gasp at his tone. Malik remained unfazed, and Pascal lost that stupid smile of hers and took a step back.

But she hadn't lost the nerve to speak… "I'm not!" she shouted, sounding annoyed that he dare say such a thing. She soon found her lost energy as she bounced up and down as she continued on. "I'm only like 22, and so I thought that Gramps here might be all ka-pow, and then…"

Was she serious right now? He didn't care about how old either of them were! And how the hell did she think adding the details of her age would have had any effect on this now past topic?

His frustration showed in his voice. "I didn't mean the subject of your age!"

Then, in a rare move he never thought he would witness, Sophie came between them and shook her head at him. "Don't fight."

It came as a slap to the face. Here was the child-like Sophie in all her innocence, sounding extremely authoritative, only muttering two simple words that killed the conversation. He turned away from the group, more so to respect Sophie's request, and dropped the subject all together. He was pretty sure that the more time he spent around Malik and Pascal, the more time he would be able to watch their behavior and finally get to the truth behind their actions.

Just so long as they didn't turn the rest of the group against him…

-0-

Hubert never liked to admit when he was nervous, and he did not openly say so once they reached Zavhert, but he was nervous. He had spent most of the boat ride arguing with Asbel and trying his hardest to convince Sophie that _she_ was not a bad person. He had even gone to bed once feeling extremely guilty for even suspecting anyone! But there was a voice in the back of his head that told him to postpone forgiving the two on his list…he needed to be absolutely positive they weren't up to something.

Regardless, his time was not focused on planning out strategies for their arrival, and that scared him. He always had a plan. He had several. He even had strategies for just in case the main plan fell through! He was _never_ this underprepared, and he hated it.

Especially when the first thing that happened when they stepped foot in Zavhert was catching the eye of the guards.

"Hold it!" they called out to them as they ran toward the group, guns pointed at them, threatening them in case they were to flee. "You're not from Fendel! Who are you?!"

Well, he couldn't really blame them; their group definitely was one to attract attention. He had just hoped, like in Velanik, they would have looked the other way.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. They would have to fight; there was no way around that. Four guards would be pretty easy for their group of six, but if they called in reinforcements, or the townspeople got involved…

"Step aside." Hubert nearly jumped out of his skin when Malik leaned in and whispered to him. "I'll take care of this."

He quickly turned around, his heart still pounding, but now his mind growing curious. What could Malik do to prevent the fight that was bound to happen?

But the older man approached the waiting guards and lifted his left arm to his chest in military salute. "We've just returned from a mission in Windor."

Windor? The guards didn't seem to fall for the lie either. "Windor? What kind of an idiot do you take me for?!"

Great. Why did he allow Malik to try and sway the guards to let them go? But the captain continued to try. "My name is Malik Caesar. I have my credentials right here."

That got his attention quickly. He watched as he handed the soldier a folded piece of paper for him to inspect. How the _hell_ did he have those?! There was no way Malik could have just found them by chance, or some other pitiful "coincidence" just so he could walk around Zavhert as he pleased.

However he had come about them, the guards seemed to be less threatening and more surprised. "Well, this…all seems to be in order."

"I trust this clears up our little misunderstanding?" Oh, it cleared it up for the guards, but Hubert was far from convinced. But he knew not to voice his concerns now and let Malik continue playing this Fendelian military man persona. "Now with your leave, we must report to Chancellor Eigen."

…What? He assumed Eigen was their leader, but, how did Malik know that if he had never been to Fendel before?

The guard's eyes widened quickly at the name. "You're meeting with the chancellor?!"

Malik nodded as the guards looked at each other, faces growing pale. Perhaps Eigen was not one to cross… "Yes. And I would hate to inform him that _you_ were the reason we were delayed."

The guard was quick to respond. "Please, no! I'm sorry!" The soldier looked around to his men before commanding them to leave. They were gone as quickly as he had ordered it.

But now this left them alone, and he had plenty of questions he wanted answered. Malik, however, took a step back, his serious tone now more relaxed. "Frankly, I'm surprised they fell for that."

Well, Hubert was not falling for it.

"How in the world did you get Fendelian military credentials?" Asbel asked, and he was extremely surprised by his question. Not that he didn't want to ask himself, but _Asbel_? The one who thought everyone was worth his trust and would never do anything wrong?

But Malik's response only made his doubts flare to life. "I had them prepared some time ago. Just in case."

Right. "You had them prepared? Huh." He was lying, and the fact that Malik blew him off completely agitated him even more. The older man must have known by now that he was on to him, and his cool composure was just to keep the others thinking everything was fine. Hubert only hoped he could get to the bottom of this before something happened. He had a feeling he was very close now…

"Let's hurry up," Malik said. "There's no telling when they might catch on."

And with that, the group began walking around the town. He made out a few conversations around them; how the soldiers thought their jobs were stressful; how the rumors of a better nation were going to come true; how the research being conducted on the valkines was top secret and tough…He would have loved to have learned more, but he had more pressing concerns.

_Malik._

Who had he asked about these credentials? How long ago had he had them made? Why did he have them with him? The need to dive deeper into the older man's past trumped the search for the valkines. What if this was what he wanted, and once they found the valkines, he would have soldiers waiting for them? They would likely lose their lives, but more importantly, fail their mission. And he was _not _a failure!

After about an hour of scouting out the town, they finally began their first conversation as a team in the town square. They didn't know a lot, but at least they could plan out their next move.

"It sounds like Fendel really is conducting experiments on their valkines. But," Asbel sighed. "We still don't know where it is."

Cheria nodded her head. "I'm still surprised the Amarcians are apparently helping them."

…What? He must have zoned out on that part of their eavesdropping…

"Me too," his brother agreed. "I thought they were all extinct." He thought so as well. He had heard of this strange tribe and how they built ruins across the world, but he had heard they were all gone. So, why would they have come up? Perhaps someone _thought_ they had met one, or perhaps the "Amarcian" name now extended to anyone who studied ruins...or other historical artifacts.

"Man, this is bad," Pascal muttered loudly, completely oblivious—again—to the conversation around them. "This is really, _really_ bad."

She looked troubled, which wasn't like her at all. But this new show of emotion only reminded him that she could have been hiding something as well.

"What are you getting so worked up about?" Asbel inquired, seemingly as curious as he was.

Pascal then proceeded to explain. "See, Fendel's valkines is kinda wonky, so it's really hard to extract eleth from it. It's also really _dangerous_ to extract eleth from it. And if this little experiment of theirs fails…Boom."

It wasn't a lot information, but it was extremely difficult to understand. However, all he kept thinking was: _how does she know this?!_ And…boom? What the hell had that meant?

His brother asked the question he kept to himself. "Um, what do you mean, boom?"

And then Pascal's voice became a shout. "I mean BOOOOM!" …There was that headache he hadn't had in days… "Like the entire country of Fendel being wiped off the map?! That kinda boom."

Her words surprised them all. Asbel, Cheria, and Sophie all stared back in horror at the thought of the scenario. But Hubert had to wonder how much of it was actually true. And how she had known all of this…

"Remember the crater we saw on the way here?" Oh, yes, the one they failed to find information on… "That was when a cryas about thiiiis big decided to explode." She held up her hand, her pointer finger literally a centimeter away from her thumb, emphasizing exactly how small this piece of cryas was. "Tiny cryas, huge crater. Now think about what would happen if the entire valkines exploded!"

Well, he really didn't want to think about it now that he knew exactly how dangerous this situation had become. They would die, no ifs, ands, or buts. And he was not about to die in some foreign country because of some messed up experiment…

"How do you know all this, Pascal?" Finally! Someone _finally_ asked the question he had been dying to ask since day one! Now he just had to cross his fingers and hope that Pascal actually answered Cheria's question truthfully…unlike she seemed to do for him…

Her serious tone was gone in a flash and a smile was plastered across her face. "Because I made the crater."

…_What?!_ For a split second, he forgot about how she could have possibly known about the dangers of a failed experiment on the valkines and let her new admission sink in.

She was quick to continue, even if no one was listening…or couldn't focus enough _to_ listen… "That's why I know this is bad. I'm pretty sure they're using my research for their valkines experiment."

Her research?

"I knew it as soon as I saw those soldiers' weapons at Warrior's Roost. The principles are totally based on my work."

That would explain why she created the scene she had when they first arrived on the island. But still, he had no idea that she would have been behind all of it!

"But wait," Asbel said, his confusion evident in his tone. "I thought they were using Amarcian technology?"

Pascal stared blankly back at him. "Yeah, they are. I'm an Amarcian."

Hmm, interesting…

…Wait…_what?! _

First, she admits to creating that enormous crater outside Velanik, and now…_this_?! And she said it with such a straight face, like she was stating something they all should have known and should not have taken them by surprise!

Oh, it was surprise alright, and he was not the only one who thought so. "_What_?!"

Finally, it looked as if Asbel was coming to understand that the woman before them had been lying to them from the start!

But she shrugged their surprised confusion off as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, did I not tell you that? I coulda sworn I mentioned it at some point."

It was as if her confessions didn't mean a thing! If what she said was true, her past research was now in the hands of someone who could destroy the country and she was a member of a race that was thought to have been extinct for centuries! Now he knew he was getting closer to the truth, and he would not leave town until he figured it out completely.

"Yeah, so hey," Pascal added in their silence. "I have an idea. Let's go visit the Amarcian enclave. There's gotta be something useful there. We might even learn where the valkines is."

Her request was met with a moment of silence. Then, "Is it nearby?"

_No, Asbel!_ Had he already forgotten that Pascal had _lied_ to them?! She couldn't be trusted, and the fact that she seemed incredibly intelligent didn't help calm his worry. She had to have _known_ what she was doing!

Pascal half-nodded. "Well, it's not super nearby, but…you know. It's in Fendel."

And when Asbel looked to Cheria for confirmation to proceed, he nearly lost it. How the hell could they all still be so dense after hearing everything she had just said to them?!

"Huh. Well, I suppose it can't hurt."

But he would not allow it to happen. He now saw Pascal as a liar…and he would not allow her to continue to accompany him, regardless of what the others were willing to forgive.

"Hold on." Before they parted ways, he had a few unanswered questions he wanted answered. He walked directly in front of Pascal, her eyes widening in what could have possibly been alarm. Good. She needed to be afraid of him…

He kept his voice calm as to not attract unwanted attention, but his eyes held all the anger and frustration he felt. "Why have you been keeping your Amarcian origins a secret? What is it you don't want us to know?"

Cheria took a step back, her eyes also widening in surprise. What, had she really not seen this coming? Was she just as naïve as his brother?

Even though Pascal did not break into a smile, she still carried a carefree aura about her. "Huh? I didn't tell you because you didn't ask."

He opened his mouth to retort, but her words made his catch on his tongue. So, instead of gaping like a fool for being blindsided by this Amarcian liar, he grit his teeth in frustration. However, she must have finally realized how the situation was looking as she dropped her gaze to the ground. He was tempted to feel slightly guilty, but instead, he decided to move on to the other half of his worries.

"And you!" He turned to face Malik, who sighed and appeared to be waiting for his words. "That little show you put on earlier was far too convincing. Perhaps there's more truth there than you would care to have us know!"

Asbel shouted at him, almost angrily, but still lacking the backbone to mean it. "Hubert, stop it."

Well, it was time Asbel was put in his place. "Oh, right. I suppose you don't find this suspicious in the least?"

"It's all right, Asbel," Malik interrupted, which truthfully shocked him. "Your brother is correct. I am originally from Fendel. However, this is the first time I've been back in over 20 years."

Another secret out. He still felt Malik was hiding something, but he was sure it wouldn't matter now anyway. "I knew it." He turned from Malik to his brother and prepared to deal the final blow. "You still want to travel with them after all this? Malik lied about his origins, and Pascal thinks we need to ask if she's a member of an extinct race! I suppose lies and deception just come naturally to these people?"

There was a hint of sadness in his brother's eyes, but he was not quite done. "I'm sorry, Asbel, but I cannot abide allies who engage in deceit. I will go no further with them at my side."

Asbel lowered his head in shame, but there was still that sad look in his eyes. "Hubert, wait…"

"There they are!"

_Damn it!_

Four soldiers surrounded them, guns at the ready. "Malik Caesar has been dead for years! Now identify yourself!"

Malik did not seem to be intimidated, or at least didn't show it. "Interesting. So that's how the records show me."

"I am hereby placing you and your companions under arrest!"

Well, he would be fine with arresting Malik and Pascal for lying, but…

"Uh-oh. Time to hit the road, guys!" Asbel, playing team leader, seemed to ignore his inner demands and he was forced to postpone his judgment. Right, because time would be able to change his mind…

Please.

However, he knew that escaping took precedence, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Once they were out of harm's way, he would tackle the issue again.

They were out of the city in minutes, which could have been much shorter had Pascal and Sophie not made a pit stop for dental hygiene! Thankfully, the guards had been easy to dispose of, but the last thing he wanted was for Fendel to think that they were there to hurt their people. That could easily be thought of as a reason to start a war…

"Okay," Asbel began between gasps for air. "We should be safe here."

"What do we do now?" Cheria asked from behind him. Well, their main goal had been intelligence, and they had learned nothing more than what they already had. A trip back through the city would have been suicidal at this point, so he really couldn't answer her question.

Pascal straightened her body and finished catching her breath before answering. "Are you sure you don't wanna go to the Amarcian enclave? We're pretty much headed in that direction anyway."

She was looking at Asbel, but he knew her statement had been directed at him. When she turned to face him, he quickly looked away. Yes, that would probably be in their best interest at this point, but then admitting that would give Asbel a reason to allow Malik and Pascal to keep traveling with them. He just needed time to figure something else out.

But she did not let him have that luxury. She walked to stand right beside him, a little _too_ close, and he jumped when he realized exactly how close she was.

"It's a little cold, but it's still super nice. Come on!" Hadn't he just snapped at her, told her he didn't want to travel with her because she was a liar? How in the world could she even approach him as if he had said nothing?

Then, before he could even blink, she grabbed hold of his arm and pulled on him, nearly knocking him over. He didn't like the fact that she had invaded his personal space, but he sure as hell didn't like her hands on him!

"S-stop! Let go of me!"

But she didn't listen and continued to tug on his arm in an effort to get him moving. He finally sighed in defeat and forcefully pulled his arm out of her hands.

And it took every ounce of willpower not to wipe that smirk off of Asbel's face.

* * *

Whew! Now that that's over, moving on! As an FYI: the next chapter will hopefully be a good one :)

Again, thank you for reading!


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